[obol] BT Pigeon parasite

[Pat Waldron]

Hi Molly and OBOL,

	BAND-TAILED PIGEONS are good ground feeders. If you spread the  
cracked corn on the ground, and rotate to new areas at each feeding,  
this problem may be eliminated. I have stopped using platform feeders  
because of an AMERICAN CROW INVASION this spring. I use tube feeders  
for black sunflower seed and BAND-TAILED PIGEONS find it difficult to  
perch on them.

	Thank you for getting a necropsy on this bird, and sharing it with  
OBOL. It takes the guess work out of the equation. They truly are  
lovely birds.

	Pat Waldron
	East of Scio




On Jul 21, 2008, at 10:24 AM, Molly Monroe wrote:

> Thought it might be worth sharing that we recently found one sick  
> and one dead Band-Tailed Pigeon at Finley NWR and had it examined  
> by ODFW. It died from a parasite called Canker or Trichomonas,  
> causing a disease known as trichomoniasis. The basics of the  
> disease is a build up of lesions and mucous in the throat resulting  
> in starvation. It can be passed to other adults by preening/ 
> courting and through their feces (especially at feeders) and can  
> then be transmitted to young when they are feeding/milking. It is  
> fairly common in pigeons and doves and can also be found in raptors  
> after feeding on an infected bird.
> I was told that the best way to prevent the spread of this is to  
> pull feeders for the season (there is plenty out there for them to  
> eat) and disenfect them well before putting them out again. I would  
> appreciate any suggestions as to the best time of year to put out  
> feeders to benefit these lovely birds!
>
> Molly Monroe
> Wildlife Biologist
> WVNWRC
> Corvallis, OR
>
>  _
> ( '<
> / ) )
> //' To cherish what remains of the earth and to foster its renewal  
> is our only legitimate hope of survival.
> -Wendell Berry
>
>
> Stay in touch when you're away with Windows Live Messenger. IM  
> anytime you're online.
> _______________________________________________
> obol mailing list
> obol at oregonbirdwatch.org
> http://oregonbirdwatch.org/mailman/listinfo/obol

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://oregonbirdwatch.org/pipermail/obol/attachments/20080721/86d173d7/attachment.html